Paul Kimball

The Burial of Private Colin Patrick

2010-10-12T06:20:00.004-03:00

"The Burial of Private Colin Patrick"

There was no noise as the coffin was lowered
into the grave,
save for the sadness of the lonely bugle
hanging slowly in the withered air.

His comrades stood around
all of them hardened veterans of the war,
thinking of their fallen friend
while wondering which of the them
would be the next
to die.

The chaplain said a few words from the Bible
1 Peter, verses 4, 7 through 11,
after which the company commander stepped forward
and quoted from a certain President,
Abraham Lincoln,
who once said under somewhat similar circumstances
in another place:

"It is rather for us to be here dedicated
to the great task remaining before us
that from these honoured dead we take increased devotion
to that cause for which they gave the last full measure
of devotion
that we here highly resolve that these
dead shall not have died
in vain."

He concluded by telling the troops
how proud he had been to have served
with such a brave young man,
and then he turned and walked back
to the bunkers behind
the land of the red tabs.

The others marched slowly
in the opposite direction
heads bowed,
a few with salt in their eyes,
as they glanced back and bid farewell
to the mound of dirt and small white cross,
the only memorial to mark the place
of the burial of private Colin Patrick.

written & performed by Paul Kimball
Recorded on 4-track, 1997

The Ten Most Beautiful Actresses Today - #2

2010-10-10T04:22:00.000-03:00

It's been ages since I posted my choice for #3, and I figured I should probably complete the list, so without further ado or delay, here is my choice at #2.

#2 - Julianne Moore

Moore is one of the few actors that I will go to the cinema to see in anything. She's been great throughout her career, so it's hard to choose a favourite role, but for me her performance as Sarah Miles in The End of the Affair remains my favourite.

Paul Kimball

Holly Stevens and Ghost Cases on A & E Biography

2010-07-22T19:52:00.003-03:00

Episode 7, part 4 of the A & E Biography series My Ghost Story, about the Algonquin Hotel in St. Andrew's, New Brunswick, features my Ghost Cases co-host and friend Holly Stevens, as well as footage from the second episode of our series. You can view the A & E segment here.

I wish the producers had spent more time placing the incident in context, but that's American television for you - a lot of flash, and a lot of quick edits and special effects, sometimes at the expense of the story itself. Still, the segment is well done, Holly did a great job, and the footage remains compelling.

To get the fuller and much more interesting story, watch the original Ghost Cases episode on Eastlink TV, or check out my Paracast interview segment at The Other Side of Truth podcast, where I discuss the case (listen to it here).

Paul Kimball

The Zen of the Vanilla Milkshake

2010-06-25T04:43:00.002-03:00

Draft cover for my forthcoming book, a collection of poetry, prose and one-liners.

Scene from the mall

2010-03-29T21:58:00.007-03:00

Time stops by the 3rd floor railing
next to the food court
(no real food actually served)
as I endure a non-event horizon
of the never-ending grey glop mush of
mediocrity which passes for the
heirs of Voltaire these days,
the screens of their blackberries
the only illumination they'll ever know.
If they all dropped dead
no one would miss them,
least of all themselves...
an inconspicuously conspicuous mass of
conspicuously inconspicuous consumerites,
legions of the lacklustre for
the new imperium of the lowest
common denominator.

Ghost Cases trailer

2010-01-25T12:37:00.002-04:00

The trailer for Ghost Cases, the television series I co-hosted / directed / wrote / produced last year.

Paul Kimball

Stanton T. Friedman IS Real!

2009-12-30T05:30:00.001-04:00

My first documentary as a writer / director, which was made for Space and Bravo in Canada in 2001, about UFO researcher Stan Friedman.

Paul Kimball

The Quotable Paul, Vol. I

2009-12-22T11:00:00.040-04:00

Things that I've said or written that I like:

"Don't Believe. Don't disbelieve. Think."
- The Other Side of Truth, 2006

"Whenever I look in the rearview mirror
all I see are people taking off-ramps,
miles short of places they could have seen,
a lifetime shy of the people they should have been."
- Facebook, 2009

"I am an elitist, a state of affairs for which I never offer an apology, because there is nothing wrong with elitism, when the term is properly understood and used."
- The Other Side of Truth, 2006

"Most people are hamsters in a cage, running on a wheel, whose idea of 'change' is a bigger cage and a bigger wheel."
- Facebook, 2009

"Dreaming is no substitute for doing."
- Facebook, 2009

"I look to the stars for their resistance against the night."
- Eternal Kiss, 2008

"Laura: You can't own someone's soul!
Langstrom: Of course you can. It's called fate."
- Eternal Kiss, 2008

"David: How old was your last conquest?
Oliver: Legal. Anything else is just a number."
- Eternal Kiss, 2008

"A smile guides my heart
from 3 am to the dawn
her star is my sun."
- "Haiku from set" - 2008

"She drags her heels but she's got a headful
of criticisms and blindside bouquets,
she gifts me a coat it's tailored perfectly
a fit for her liking and sense of fashion,
why do I take it from her still?"
- from "Blindside Bouquet" - 1993

"Statues stand
in parks and halls
but those statues
will some day fall
death makes statues
of us all,
great men are busts
meant for the birds."
- from "Abdictation" - 2007

"If you really want to change things, you need to be prepared to spill some blood. History has never been kind to dilettantes masquerading as revolutionaries."
- Facebook, 2009

"We should always be conscious of the fact that there are a great many things about our universe, and ourselves, that we haven’t even begun to understand yet. To close ourselves off to the possibility that there might be more to heaven and earth than our current science can explain would be foolish, and unscientific."
- Ghost Cases, 2009

"The paranormal doesn't come with a manual."
- Ghost Cases, 2009

"The problem with simple explanations is that they’re not always the correct explanations."
- Ghost Cases, 2009

"When examining historical events, we always have to remember to view them in their proper context, and not through the prism of our own time and experiences. In other words, we should stick to the facts as they were, not as we would like them to be, and draw our conclusions from that."
- The Other Side of Truth, 2007

"The best way to beat an opponent is with a bluff. It adds an extra bit of satisfaction."
- Facebook, 2007

"Monogamy is only for those people with the most fertile imaginations."
- Facebook, 2009

"I chose her, but she didn't choose me. That's the story of my life. My solace comes from knowing that unlike most people, at least I have a story."
- Facebook, 2007

"In our rush to have all of the latest gadgets, including those that may become part of our own bodies, we must not forget those who don't have access to them. The alternative to maintaining an awareness of the growing technological divide within humanity, and trying to do something about it, is a bleak future for us all."
- The Other Side of Truth, 2007

"What if we are the God of the Bible? One of the central ideas behind God, after all, is that He is eternal - yesterday is today is tomorrow to Him. If we ever do master time travel, we become capable of the same thing. We become, perhaps, our own God - masters of the Eternal Now."
- The Other Side of Truth, 2005

"The trick is not in looking good when entering a bar, but in looking good when leaving."
- 2009

"We rarely get exactly what we want, but we almost always get exactly what we deserve."
- 2009

"Never fish in another man's pond."
- Facebook, 2009

"Never take a girl to an Italian restaurant on a first date. No man can make a good impression while slurping spaghetti."
- Facebook, 2009

Paul Kimball

Eternal Kiss update

2009-12-06T06:53:00.001-04:00

Work continues on my first feature film, Eternal Kiss, which has been delayed because my attention has been focused on Ghost Cases. However, as post-production on Ghost Cases is now winding down, I've turned my attention to Eternal Kiss again, and the film will be done by mid-January of 2010.

This video shows some clips of the wonderful actresses I got to work with on the film.

Paul Kimball

Eternal Kiss trailer

2009-03-26T04:23:00.000-03:00

The trailer for my upcoming feature film, Eternal Kiss, due for release in August of 2009.

The film stars Joseph Gallaccio, Laura Bleasdale, Carly Street, Nigel Bennett, Christina Cuffari, and David Connellan.

Paul Kimball

Eternal Kiss - rough cut screen captures

2009-03-18T19:03:00.001-03:00

Some screen captures from the rough cut.

Paul Kimball

Joseph Gallaccio as David Price:

Laura Bleasdale as Laura West and Kate Mullan as Marianne Simmons:

Christina Cuffari as Stephanie Fielding:

Carly Street as Elisabeth Langstrom:

Laura Bleasdale as Laura West and David Connellan as Oliver Seward:

Christina Cuffari as Stephanie Fielding:

Nigel Bennett as Simon Polidori:

Joseph Gallaccio as David Price:

Carly Street as Elisabeth Langstrom:

Joseph Gallaccio as David Price and Vanessa Furlong as Miranda Polidori:

Sandy MacLean as Dean:

Laura Bleasdale as Laura West:

Holly Stevens as Sophie Price and Nigel Bennett as Simon Polidori:

David Connellan as Oliver Seward:

Aperture Atlantic 2008

2009-02-16T17:29:00.002-04:00

In September, 2008, I was interviewed on the Eastlink show Aperture Atlantic, about my career as a filmmaker. Here are the clips:

It was fun - always nice to talk about my favourite films!

Paul Kimball

On the job

2008-10-26T05:16:00.003-03:00

A couple of shots of me from the Eternal Kiss shoot.

More Eternal Kiss production stills

2008-10-22T18:50:00.007-03:00

Vanessa Furlong as vampire hunter Miranda Polidori.

Joseph Gallaccio as David Price, on location in David's office.

Vampire hunters wander through some eerie halls.

All vampire hunters need stakes...

... and crosses.

Christina Cuffari as Stephanie Fielding.

Yours truly with Executive Producer Bill Niven on location in Shelburne.

Yours truly with Nigel Bennett (Dr. Simon Polidori) and Zorgrot.

What Next?

2008-10-22T16:37:00.002-03:00

Now that Eternal Kiss is wrapped, my legion of fans (ed. note: hahahahaha) may be wondering - "what next for Paulus?"

The answer is that I'm returning to the paranormal with two projects - I start work as co-writer, co-producer and director on a television series called "Maritime Ghosts" tomorrow, which will take me throughout the Maritime provinces and New England over the next couple of months, hunting ghosts and exploring all sorts of allegedly haunted places. At the same time, I'm editing three UFO-related documentaries for an American distributor, which you can expect to see on TV and DVD sometime in the Spring of 2009 (more details to follow). And, of course, I'll be overseeing the post-production on Eternal Kiss, and working on developing new projects, both documentaries and drama.

2008 has been a good year for Redstar Films and yours truly. 2009 promises to be even more exciting, and full of adventure!

Paul Kimball

Eternal Kiss - Production Stills of Cast

2008-10-21T18:20:00.008-03:00

Here are some production stills of the amazing cast of the cast ofEternal Kiss - all shots taken by our 2nd AD, Ben Stevens.

Joseph Gallaccio as David Price

David Connellan as Oliver Seward

Carly Street as Elisabeth Langstrom

Laura Bleasdale as Laura West

Christina Cuffari as Stephanie Fielding

Holly Stevens as Sophie Price and Nigel Bennett as Dr. Simon Polidori

Sandy MacLean as Dean

Vanessa Furlong as Miranda Polidori

Amy Kerr as Emily Parker

Kate Mullan as Marianne

Eternal Kiss - production stills

2008-10-11T02:28:00.001-03:00

Here are some photos from the Eternal Kiss shoot, which began September 11th and is ongoing.

Carly Street as Elisabeth Langstrom and Christina Cuffari as Stephanie Fielding.

Christina Cuffari as Stephanie Fielding.

Holly Stevens as Sophie Price.

Vanessa Furlong as Miranda Polidori.

So far, the shoot has gone great - we're headed into our final week!

Paul Kimball

Scenes from the Front, Vol. I

2008-09-22T16:27:00.002-03:00

Nigel Bennett and I on location near Shelburne, N.S. while shooting Eternal Kiss. Nigel plays the ace vampire hunter, Dr. Simon Polidori.

Paul Kimball

Stolen Wings

2008-09-08T03:20:00.001-03:00

Stolen Wings

City of angels
where people speak
but make no sound,
conscience chides them
slaps them hard -
they laugh
and pour another.
Voices cry,
in numbers growing,
deaf ears
preoccupied with owning the stars
ignore the light within.
No remorse...
No regrets...
not even a handout...
they take flight
on stolen wings.

Paul Kimball

When I Was Young

2008-09-06T18:07:00.006-03:00

Some random photos, from the days when I was green and carefree, famous amongst the barns.

That's me, my Dad, my sister Sharon, and my brother Jim.

So long as it's not an Audi, I can drive it!

Helping out on my grandfather's farm, Blackville, New Brunswick.

Paul Kimball

New Frontier

2008-09-04T13:39:00.002-03:00

New Frontier

Soul grifters...
time drifters -
no longer
heavy lifters,
Independence,
but no longer
independent,
Pluto towns
Jupiter frowns…
faces like the aftermath
of a nuclear weapons test.
The irradiated chickens
(half lives and half wits)
have come home
to roost
on the new frontier –
pick a channel
and watch them
cluck.

When I Was Fab, Vol. I

2008-09-04T04:55:00.002-03:00

From the Mail Star, 1985, after I had won a spot on Nova Scotia's team to the National High School Debating Championships in Montreal. I was the first student from Prince Andrew to ever make the team - Nova Scotia finished 2nd that year as a team, and I placed 11th in the country individually.

Even as a debater I was a bit of a rebel - shirt undone, tie askew, hair out of place. Ahh... the good old days!

Paul Kimball

Flood

2008-09-02T04:13:00.001-03:00

Something I've been working on...

Flood

A cornucopia of bright-eyed pastel pasted smile
talking heads
their monotone pleasure-drone of mindless witless
pseudo-new-light assault babble
as they hustle for silver to build a bridge to heaven
or score a limo ride to the nearest streetcorner
of earthly desire,
a flood of spit rains on them.
Holy water.

Paul Kimball

Colorado photos, Vol. II

2008-08-28T16:31:00.007-03:00

More photos from the Colorado trip:

Annie Briggs and Christina Cuffari perform "Doing Time", which ran for six shows at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art during the 2008 Boulder International Fringe Festival.

Yours truly at Rocky Mountain National Park.

Yours truly on a pilgrimage to the Great Stupa in northern Colorado, a major Buddhist shrine.

Paul Kimball

Colorado photos

2008-08-28T15:30:00.006-03:00

I had a great time for two weeks in Colorado, where I was directing the play Doing Time at the 2008 Boulder International Fringe Festival. Here are some pics:

That's me with actor Annie Briggs, who played Leda in Doing Time, at the Rocky Mountain National Park during one of our days off. Annie, who I first met when she was a high school intern on our MacBeth shoot back in 2003, has gone on to study acting at Queen's, and did a fantastic job as Leda! She has a great career ahead of her.

This is me with Christina Cuffari, the actor who played Jane in Doing Time, the role she had in the original run here in Halifax back in November, 2007. We visited the Glenwood Adventure Park and toured a really cool cave at Glenwood Springs. I can't say enough good things about Christina, so I'm not even going to try, other than this - I would work with her on anything, anytime, anywhere. She's that good. Keep an eye out for her feature film debut in Eternal Kiss, sometime in 2009.

The three amigos at Rocky Mountain National Park.

Having a great time when you travel depends a lot on who you travel with. I was fortunate enough to have Annie and Christina with me on the trip to Colorado - they did great work, and we had tons of fun / adventures. Kerouac Kimball couldn't have asked for more!

Paul Kimball

P.S. More photos to come, but here's me at Doc Holliday's memorial, Glenwood Springs, Colorado (they don't know exactly where in the cemetery he's buried).

Scenes from the front...

2008-08-20T15:05:00.005-03:00

Annie and Christina in "Doing Time" at the 2008 Boulder International Fringe Festival.

Paul Kimball

Doing Time with two great actors

2008-08-19T13:18:00.003-03:00

Christina Cuffari (left, above), who will be playing Stephanie Fielding in Eternal Kiss in just a couple of weeks, is currently performing at the 2008 Boulder International Fringe Festival as Jane in the sci-fi mystery "Doing Time", which I co-wrote with my good friend Mac Tonnies, an American author.

I'm out in Boulder "directing" the play right now - I put "directing" in quotation marks because when you have actors as talented and hard-working as Christina and her co-star, Annie Briggs (right, above), there isn't a whole lot for a director to do once the play starts but sit back and watch the magic unfold.

If this is "Doing Time", I'm going to forego my appeals and serve out the rest of my sentence!!

Paul Kimball

A Day Off in Colorado

2008-08-19T02:07:00.005-03:00

Today was our day off from "fringe-ing" in Boulder, and we took a great trip up to the Rocky Mountain National Park.

This is me near Nederland, Colorado.

Here I am with Annie Briggs in the National Park. Annie is doing great work in "Doing Time" at the Boulder International Fringe Festival, as is her castmate Christina Cuffari, who snapped these shots.

Colorado is stunning!

Paul Kimball

New UFO-Related documentary

2008-08-11T12:34:00.006-03:00

I've been waiting to announce this for over a year now, and finally the time is right. Along with all of the other things that I've been working on publicly over the past year, including Best Evidence, Eternal Kiss, and Synchronicity, I've also been working on a documentary about UFO personality Kal K. Korff, sub rosa, i.e. undercover. This has been done as a co-production with a film production company in the Czech Republic, where Korff, an American ex-pat, has lived for several years now.

The film profiles Korff, and his strange and sad journey through the world of ufology and other things. It was necessary to keep all of this literally secret as we went undercover and filmed Korff in Prague, as well as some work in California and Oregon, all with the aid of a member of his "inner circle". The only person outside my immediate production team who was aware of the project was my good friend Mac Tonnies. The film is in many respects inspired by the Errol Morris classic, Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred Leuchter, which is probably my favourite documentary.

The feature-length documentary should be hitting a television station near you (well, in Canada at least) in the spring of 2009.

Paul Kimball

Back to the USA

2008-08-10T17:54:00.004-03:00

Having just arrived back in Halifax on Friday, after quite the trip from Los Angeles, which included an emergency landing and overnight stay in Syracuse, New York, I'm off again on Tuesday to attend the 2008 Boulder International Fringe Festival, where Doing Time will make its American debut. I'll be back and blogging on the 25th, just in time to avoid the Democratic National Convention in Denver, and finish up my top ten most beautiful actresses countdown!

Paul Kimball

LA Bound

2008-08-04T18:16:00.005-03:00

I'm off to Los Angeles tomorrow, where I'm being interviewed for an episode of the television series The UFO Hunters (History, USA). While in LA I'll also be hanging out with my good friends Greg Bishop and Tim Binnall, and maybe even catching an Angels game. I'll be back on Thursday evening.

Paul Kimball

The Ten Most Beautiful Actresses Today - #3

2008-08-04T09:54:00.003-03:00

#3 - Charlotte Rampling

Two words apply to Charlotte Rampling as related to her beauty... Timeless, and elegant.

If you're not familiar with her work over the years, check out what I think is her best performance in The Verdict opposite Paul Newman, as well as Swimming Pool (2003), Heading South (a 2005 film about female sexual tourism that she made when she was 59), and The Night Porter, a 1974 film that remains highly controversial even today.

Paul Kimball

All Those Years Ago, Vol. II

2008-08-03T22:10:00.002-03:00

One of the best songs I ever wrote... and one of my favourites. It still resonates with me.

"She drags her heels but she's got a headful
of criticisms and blindside bouquets,
she gifts me a coat it's tailored perfectly
a fit for her liking and sense of fashion,
why do I take it from her still?"

The course of true love never runs smooth.

"Our perfect intercourse
lost in her contemplation,
my generous remorse
dismissed as idle conversation,
she pockets all my sins
to pull them out again
when we're together."

Tall Poppies were yours truly on guitar, Mike Trainor on vocals, Glenn MacCulloch on drums, Adam Rumsey on guitar, and Mike Riley on bass. We had a lot of fun!

Paul Kimball

The Ten Most Beautiful Actresses Today - #4

2008-08-03T20:46:00.007-03:00

#4 - Alicia Witt

Alicia Witt may not be as well known as some of the other women on this list, but I'm a sucker for redheads... and a big fan of the Law & Order franchise!

Paul Kimball

The Ten Most Beautiful Actresses Today - #5

2008-08-03T20:46:00.002-03:00

#5 - Halle Berry

I've never been that big a fan of Halle Berry when it comes to her acting ability - I've always thought that she was a bit overrated, and a bit one dimensional... although she was superb in Monster's Ball. However, I take no issue with people who consider her one of the most beautiful women on the planet - indeed, I heartily concur!

Paul Kimball

Kerouac Kimball - Williams, Arizona

2008-08-03T13:10:00.010-03:00

I can't sing, but once every ten years or so I hop up on stage and give it a go anyway. In this clip from September 2007, I'm at Wild West Junction in Williams, Arizona, playing an impromptu version of "Girl With the Bright Star Horizon" and "Darkest Hour", songs I wrote in early 2007. I had spent the day hanging out with the people who ran WWJ and worked there, and snagged some interviews with a number of them... I also caught a performance by Navajo dancers:

All in all, a great day!

Paul Kimball

The Ten Most Beautiful Actresses Today - #6

2008-08-03T13:10:00.005-03:00

#6 - Jennifer Connelly

Connelly has been in some of my favourite films, including the sci-fi classic Dark City and the underrated superhero film The Rocketeer. A great actress, she has won critical acclaim for her work in films such as A Beautiful Mind (for which she won an Oscar), Little Children and Pollock, but my favourite Connelly role is in House of Sand and Fog, a challenging film on every level in which she truly excels.

Paul Kimball

That Was Then... Vol. I

2008-08-03T12:26:00.003-03:00

Long before the assassination of JFK was caught on film, there was the killing of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia and the French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou in 1934 in Marseilles (Barthou was actually killed by a stray bullet fired by a police officer). Here is a newsreel of the event:

Note the police on horses brandishing sabres!

Paul Kimball

China, Vol. I

2008-08-03T11:21:00.005-03:00

Am I the only one that sees some pretty striking parallels (and yes, some differences as well) between the 1936 Olympics and the way that the 2008 summer Olympics are shaping up?

HONG KONG, China (AP) -- China has failed to improve its human rights record in the run-up to next month's Olympics, with the government intensifying its crackdown on activists in recent years, Amnesty International charged in a report to be released Tuesday.

Amnesty said that in the last year alone, thousands of petitioners, reformists and others were arrested as part of a government campaign to "clean up" Beijing before the games, which open August 8. It said many of those arrested have been sentenced to manual labor without trial.

Chinese human rights activists have been targeted elsewhere in the country as well, Amnesty said in its report.

It cited the case of Sichuan-based activist Huang Qi, who was formally arrested earlier this month on charges of possessing state secrets. The case, though, is believed to stem from his work helping the families of children killed in May's earthquake bring a legal case against local authorities, Amnesty said.

The organization said the games, touted by Chinese and Olympic officials alike as a way to help expand freedoms in the authoritarian country, have instead led the government to muzzle critics in hopes of presenting an image of harmony and stability to the outside world.

"By continuing to persecute and punish those who speak out for human rights, the Chinese authorities have lost sight of the promises they made when they were granted the games seven years ago," said Roseann Rife, a deputy director in Asia for the London-based group. "The Chinese authorities are tarnishing the legacy of the games."

The rest of the report is available here.

I've been nattering on for years about how China poses a real threat to global security (a far bigger threat than Iraq or North Korea or even Iran), and that perhaps the whole "let's trade with them and then they'll become a free market democracy" approach was wishful, pie-in-the-sky thinking that was used to cover up the real motive, which is pure profit for those in the West who are making money off of increased trade with China (and those who buy cheap Chinese goods, and so save money to spend on other things). If the current generation had been responsible for running the Cold War, we would all be speaking Russian by now.

I'm no Lou Dobbs - I believe that free trade should be the basis of any free market economy (I believe it should also be fair trade, but that's another story). I just don't think we should be pussy-footing around with a regime that is in many respects worse than the one that fell in the former Soviet Union almost twenty years ago... and I'm definitely sure that by propping it up economically - which we never did with the Soviets - we are ensuring that the Communist dictatorship is getting stronger, not weaker.

I'm not saying we should completely boycott China, a la the failed American approach to Cuba (that doesn't work, and it's unrealistic). However, we should see China for what it is - a strategic threat, and a brutal dictatorship - and act accordingly, always remembering that profit isn't the most important consideration, and if you keep handing the neighbourhood bully your milk money, he's just going to get bigger and stronger on your dime.

People were wrong to think that the Olympics would change things, and they are just as wrong to think that greater trade with China will change things. Rather than propping the Communist regime up and thereby enabling it to grow stronger, both at home and abroad, it's time to begin employing a hard-nosed and realpolitik approach to taking it down. That process will take years, and is fraught with peril, just as the Cold War was, but it's better than any of the alternatives.

Paul Kimball

The Ten Most Beautiful Actresses Today - #7

2008-08-01T07:24:00.003-03:00

#7 - Diane Lane

Unfortunately for Diane Lane, she appears in a lot of movies that are not equal to her talent level... but I almost always go anyway, because she's the epitome of what Hollywood beauty should be, and she's a great actress.

Paul Kimball

The Ten Most Beautiful Actresses Today - Note

2008-07-31T12:04:00.010-03:00

I feel compelled to note that this ongoing top ten countdown of the most beautiful actresses around today does not include any of the beautiful and tremendously talented actresses who are friends and / or colleagues of mine, such as Amy Kerr...

Or Christina Cuffari...

Or Carly Street...

Or Laura Bleasdale...

Or Holly Stevens...

Thus have I avoided all conflict of interest charges!

Now, on with the countdown...

Paul Kimball

High Tech Noon

2008-07-31T12:04:00.009-03:00

My two favourite genres of films are sci-fi and westerns (with horror coming in a close third). This re-worked clip from my favourite film of all time, "High Noon", takes this most iconic of westerns and adds some pretty nifty sci-fi elements. Great stuff!

Paul Kimball

The Ten Most Beautiful Actresses Today - #8

2008-07-31T09:09:00.001-03:00

# 8 - Maggie Gyllenhaal

She's talented, independent, thoughtful (and on occasion controversial), gorgeous... and stars in the Dark Knight. What's not to love?

Paul Kimball

Turntable - Vol. I

2008-07-31T08:52:00.000-03:00

Death Cab for Cutie - I will Possess Your Heart

I really like this song - it builds, then hits a crescendo, and then slinks away while you're still processing what you've just heard. Insidious!

Paul Kimball

The Ten Most Beautiful Actresses Today - #9

2008-07-30T21:53:00.003-03:00

# 9 - Natalie Portman

Forget her wooden performances as Princess Amidala in the Star Wars prequels - if you want to see why Portman merits inclusion on any list like this, check out her performance in Mike Nichols' 2004 gem, Closer!

Paul Kimball

The Ten Most Beautiful Actresses Today - #10

2008-07-30T18:34:00.003-03:00

#10 - Gillian Anderson

Sure, the recent X-Files movie was a franchise-killing disaster, but that doesn't change the fact that Anderson lights up the screen, even when Chris Carter insists on having her spend most of the film in dimly lit places!

Paul Kimball

All Those Years Ago, Vol. I

2008-07-30T12:51:00.004-03:00

Ahh... the good old days!

Paul Kimball

Alternate PK Reality, Vol. I

2008-07-30T12:51:00.002-03:00

In an alternate reality, I would be making films like this:

Honestly, what's not to love?

Paul Kimball

If I Were An American...

2008-07-30T12:14:00.003-03:00

... I wouldn't vote for either Obama (too messianic) or McCain (too old, too out of touch) this November. Instead, I would write in one of the following:

a) Abraham Lincoln - because the United States could use some honest leadership after almost 16 years of lies and corruption; or

b) Harry S. Truman - because the man had guts, and made the tough calls, and the world needs some of that right now, on a host of issues; or

Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt would also get some serious consideration, as would George Washington - the United States may well need the kind of man who would refuse a crown in the years to come.

Paul Kimball

Watchmen

2008-07-30T08:03:00.000-03:00

Now this is exciting!

It's going to be hard to live up to expectations. Watchmen is one of the great pieces of "comic book" fiction in the 20th century, and Chris Nolan has set the bar so high you can barely see it anymore with Dark Knight, a "superhero" film that transcends its genre and stands as a great film - period. Still, the source material is gold, and the trailer looks amazing, so here's hoping!

Paul Kimball